The idea behind metered pricing shouldn’t be new to anyone. If you’ve rented a car or had a cell phone then you understand the concept. You pay only for what you use. You don’t have to buy the car, you only pay for the time you use it. You don’t pay for the cellular network, just the time you spend on it.
That idea that you pay for only what you need and nothing more is why metered pricing is so exciting when it comes to cloud-based computing and Network as a Service in particular. It turns what was often a large capital expense for companies that may not have the money to invest on IT into a monthly operational expense that’s predictable and affordable.
But flexible billing is good for the IT managed service provider as well. In particular, it provides you with two benefits.
Competitive pricing for you and the end user
Partnering with a service like MyCloudIT that uses metered pricing allows you to keep your out-of-pocket expenses low, letting you be more competitive on your pricing to the end user. Covering your costs becomes easier, and you provide a price low-priced estimate that your customer can appreciate.
You become a consultative partner
Having metered pricing will also cause a fundamental shift in your relationship with your customers. You will move from being a person who provides a service, to someone with whom the business can consult. You become a partner.
Here’s an example of how: Without metered billing, you have your list of products you can offer potential customers. Those products have set services and set costs. Hopefully, those costs and those services match what your customer needs. If not, you don’t have any other options.
With metered billing, your conversation is different. You still start by asking them their needs, but you present them with a solution that is customized to meet those needs. They only pay for the number of virtual desktops they need. If they only need 10 desktops then they pay only for 10 desktops. Then, they pay only for the time those desktops are actually being used. If they only need the desktop for 4 hours then they only pay for four hours. They aren’t paying for 24 hours of desktop availability when they only need a portion of that.
And with MyCloudIt you can customize your offerings even farther. Not every business needs 24-hour, 7-day-a-week network access, so why should they be paying for that? For instance, if a client only needs network access Mondays from 7 a.m. to 4:45 pm then they can pay for access during only that time. And each day is customizable. Tuesday access from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.? Saturday's from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.? No problem.
Giving a customer a solution that’s that highly customized puts you in a different light. You move from managed service provider to IT consultant. You are helping them solve problems, do more with their money. You are a problem solver, and an indispensable part of their business.
Metered billing is a great deal for the customer. But it’s also a great benefit for the managed service provider. It lets you be the hero for your clients.
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Tags: Managed Service Provider
